How are you all binding your keys to quickly use all 20 echoing strike spells, buffs & supports?

I have been playing a demon warlock until now, which was pretty simple in its play loop. All I needed to constantly use were:

• Teleport

• Death Mark

• Blood Boil

• Engorge

• summon (one demon type)

• sigil

• town portal

• CTA shouts (which I haven't keybound)

Now I'm playing the Echoing Strike build, and holy crap. This is annoying. Now I need to constantly use:

• Teleport

• Echoing Strike

• sigil

• Psychic Ward

• summon

• Consume demon

• CTA shouts

• town portal

and if it weren't so cumbersome I would like to also use (for additional utility as needed)

• Death Mark

• hex

• Eldritch Blast

Feels like I'm spending a significant amount of game time refreshing buffs with this build.

So, how are you all managing these abilities and what are your binds? What's your process?

I have lethargy on left click and Echoing Strike on right.
i use 2x hot keys for deathmark and Teleport.

I tend to run 2x defilers and Hex Purge as I find the clear speed is faster so although it is specced I dont use Consume a lot. It can be too risky when the Goatman runs straight to hug my hephasto


That's pretty much it.

I'm playing Echoing Strike. I just summon goat, Consume it, apply hex, CTA and then start teleporting and killing everything. Not needing any other buff. I do not use Psychic Ward nor Sigil.

Oh I like this topic:)
I have currently 15 binded skills for ES Warlock.
Before Enigma when my main "movement bind" was Blade Warp, I was using 16th for Teleport charges ("N").

My current map goes like this:
Important note!
I obv never push ctrl+page up/down when playing.
Those are commands binded to my left and right clicks on mouse scroll button, which belong to my "web map" for my mouse when using web browser (those are shortcuts for next and previous card).


My default hand placement is fingers on 1, F2, F3, F4 and B.
I use the same map for every character where F4 is my Teleport/movement Key for last quarter of a centuryXD
F1-4 + numerical 5 are always reserved for skills most likely cast during fight with exception of "spammables" which are under thumb* under B and N keys.
Spammables = Fireball, Ring of Fire, Nova, Smite etc.

For ES Warlock Echoing Strike is main spammable but it doesn't need to be binded, only picked for r-click from main screen (and for l-click as well, i run double Echoing on mouse).

Same as my "F4 forever for Teleport", 6 and 7 are forever Battle Shouts from CTA for me. Close each other for quick sequence.
Similary summon, Consume and second summon are meant for instant buff sequence at the start of each game in order: F6 -> F7 -> F5 (which I keep the same for Fire Lock but obviously different demon under F6).

*I also use thumb to swap weapons with space, enter cube with V or character sheet.

EDIT
I have double Town Portal, because I always use scrolls on Belt and almost never use book unless rushing but with new Sling Ring i binded it on additional Key.
I don't wear it 95% of time though.

Any buff skills like BO or a Hex, I just use the F keys (F6 for Hex, F9-F10 for BC/BO, etc.) Always F8 for TP unless they are in my Belt. My hotkeys on keyboard are usually E R D F, E is my spam usually (so ES here). Left click Sigil, right click Teleport. I put Consume on Z so I don't accidentally hit it lol

ever since the d2r patch that allowed hotkeys, I completely remapped the keys to have more binds available for spells. It was weird to get used to at first not using the F1-F12 keys as usual, but I find it much more intuitive after. Basically, any keys from Q to Y, A to H, Z to B (going left to right), along with space Key can be used as one for a skill. Only exception is I leave W for weapon switch and Q for quest. F1-F6 are changed for other things commonly used, like F1 for character screen, etc. This way, I end up binding the most used skill on space or F, or G, and it feels more like operating a FPS game. For example, my ES warlock has Echoing Strike on left click as well as F, Teleport on right click, while B is for Bind Demon, G for Engorge, etc. I always use T to bind for Teleport (easy to remember). space bar I leave for something I frequently recast, such as Psychic Ward. It takes some time to map out, but I now have it saved as a custom and pretty much use this for all characters

I have Teleport at middle mouse button, it's really easy to use that way.

You can setup custom bindings for each weapon set; I have CTA at Z+X so they are near each other on swap.

I have primary skill at R, secondary at E, then W, Q, so they stay in the same row.

I generally havea "square" area of keybindings on my keyboard for triggers (between Q and V)

HaveANiceDay wrote: 4 months ago

Oh I like this topic:)

Yes! Thanks for taking the time to write all that out. This is the kind of Insight that's helping me understand how people actually play this game. lol

Sometimes I feel like a monkey using a typewriter playing this.

Oops my potions are all gone because I had my hands on the numbers instead of the F keys again...

its60cent wrote: 4 months ago

ever since the d2r patch that allowed hotkeys, I completely remapped the keys...

Imagine if this game provided functionality that allowed multi-action input so that pressing space bar once automatically summoned a pre-selected demon, consumed it, resummoned it, swapped to CTA, used all 3 shouts, swapped weapon again, used Psychic Ward, used a pre- selected hex.

I just use F1 to F9
F1 = Blade Warp / Enigma Teleport once I have Enigma
F2 = sigil
F3 forward are buffs and summons.

I dont have CTA.

D2seller wrote: 4 months ago

its60cent wrote: 4 months ago

ever since the d2r patch that allowed hotkeys, I completely remapped the keys...

Imagine if this game provided functionality that allowed multi-action input so that pressing space bar once automatically summoned a pre-selected demon, consumed it, resummoned it, swapped to CTA, used all 3 shouts, swapped weapon again, used Psychic Ward, used a pre- selected hex.

Well it "does" actually.
I just recorded macro for demon summon and Consume combo in my mouse software.
It works fine. Good call;)

EDIT:
And for CTA as well:)

EDIT2:
There's apprently a lot into this topic which you can research and macros seem not to be allowed generally (i have to dig in yet).
But I'm not sure if simple skill bind combo input counts unless it's gonna be some over the top Pattern on the verge of botting.

Supposedly some people were banned for using macros:
forums/account-got-ban-after-playing-2- ... ilit=macro

Would simple two skill prebuff combo be any different from my mouse binds?
Which are not only ctrl + page up/down (see above) but I also have ctrl+c and ctrl+v, and i have them binded as map/show items toggles in D2.
I must have used all four combinations like thousands of times since ROTW release.

I’d be extremely careful of using macros. It’s a form of automation (one button press to do multiple actions) and very much a use-at-own-risk thing. Don’t mean to derail the topic but I just wanted to put that out there.

Personally I have remapped my keys as follows (have to think off the top of my head as I’m not able to check my PC atm):
Skill 1 - A - Sigil Lethargy
Skill 2 - S - Sigil Death
Skill 3 - D - Hex Siphon
Skill 4 - F - Teleport (on all chars)
Skill 5 - Z - Death Mark
Skill 6 - X - Engorge
Skill 7 - E - Battle Command (on all chars)
Skill 8 - R - Battle Orders (on all chars)
Skill 9 - G - unmapped on warlock
Skill 10 - F1 - Bind Demon
Skill 11 - F2 - Summon Defiler
Skill 12 - F3 - Summon Goatman
Skill 13 - F4 - Consume
Skill 14 - F5 - unmapped on warlock
Skill 15 - F6 - unmapped on warlock
Skill 16 - F7 - unmapped on warlock
(left click is almost always my primary skill if allowed, ES on the warlock)

I have potions on the original 1-4, quest on Q, weapon swap on W, char screen on C, graphics swap (which isn’t possible in RotW) on H. I still use shift for running (I don’t always have auto run on, it varies), alt for item display and tab for map toggle, I like to keep my hot keys in the left part of the keyboard, the most used ones towards the bottom left, to avoid large hand movements and/or weird finger stretching. The demon summons and Consume are on F keys on purpose to avoid accidental use (I never have my hand up there unless refreshing summons/ Consume).

Are you guys using keyboard palm support (wrist rest)? If yes, what kind or rather did you picked one with gaming/d2r in mind?

I'm asking because part of me leaving main spells on F keys was to make my palm naturaly align with them without any muscle effort and keep it in resting position while playing.

I do use support and I'm "testing" bind maps posted in this thread and started to wondering how much fatigue each of them could be generating in marathon farming.
Not saying they do more than mine, maybe that's just a preference matter.

ES — right click
Sigil — mouse 4
CtA shouts — mouse scroll up/down
Teleport — W
TP — Q
Loot highlights (filtered/unfiltered) — mouse 3/5
All other skills are on F-keys, and I barely use them during farming. Also I use CtA as a main weapon, so I don't need the swap button.